One warehouse makes the colonial stakes tangible

The value of captured Dutch goods makes the campaign's commercial stakes tangible. One warehouse alone reportedly contained £300,000 worth of goods in 1795. An illustrative modern equivalent is about £29.5 million, although the historical figure is the firmer comparison. A port serving many such stores represented accumulated trade, infrastructure, and state revenue as well as a useful harbour. The example helps explain why Britain treated Ceylon as a major imperial objective rather than an incidental territorial gain.